Joe’s Convenience produces sketch comedy with meaningful stories, lovable characters, refreshing environments, unusual formats, unexpected plot twists, with a healthy disregard for the status quo. In short, Joe’s Convenience makes comedy that is memorable.
Joe’s Convenience debuted in October 1993 at the Rivoli in Toronto, consisting of Ben Brooks and Simon Fraser. Although sometimes appearing as a duo, Brooks and Fraser invited many guest players to fill out their sketches.
“Call it multidisciplinary, but what the Joe’s boys pull off is a fundamental fiddling with the overall presentation of sketch comedy. They don’t just employ songs, slide shows, film, soundscapes and puppets. They bend and twist any available medium into what they hope is a high-flying, original hybrid – indeed, a ‘new wave’ of sketch.”
“What makes Joe’s Convenience hum is not just the fluid, unexpected twists of its material, but the subtle wit that keeps those twists neatly blended into the body of each sketch.”
In 1995, Joe’s Convenience played the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. What started as a handful of shows at the festival turned into three handfuls of shows.
… bravely, they assume their crowds to be reasonably eclectic.
By flaunting hackneyed structure, Brooks and Fraser imbued their show with surprise, an essential but often overlooked comedic element. Consequently, they kept their audience laughing non-stop throughout their two-hour show.
In just under three years, Brooks and Fraser have gone from nothing wannabes to next-big-thing status. They are currently not just the best troupe in Toronto, Joe’s Convenience is the best thing going in Canada.
In 1997, Joe’s Convenience again appeared at the Just For Laughs festival with a multimedia show that mixed sketch comedy revue with reality-TV-style sitcom.
…a formula that’s been winning the group rave reviews.
- Duo’s off-the-wall comedy nets deal with top U.S. producer
In 1998, Joe’s Convenience slowed production when other interests began calling Brooks and Fraser. They performed several club shows in Los Angeles in 2000 and 2001 and a series of performances in Toronto in 2008.
…briefly famous for their fresh take on sketch in the mid-’90s
In 2009, Brooks, Fraser and Renée Percy co-created Stay At Home Dan.